Startup annual compliance in India: the year-end timeline

Startup annual compliance in India follows the same shape every year. You close the books on 31 March, get them audited, approve them at an AGM by 30 September, then file them with the Registrar and the tax department by October and November. Miss the order and the deadlines stack up on each other. This guide lays the whole year out in one timeline, with what your CA needs from you at each step.

Who this is for: founders of private limited companies in India, especially in their first few years, who want to know what's coming instead of finding out from a penalty notice.

The year in one picture

Indian companies run their financial year from April to March. Year-end work starts on 1 April and runs until December.

The rest of this guide goes through each part.

A note on 2026: two tax laws

The Income-tax Act, 2025 replaced the 1961 Act on 1 April 2026. The year that ended on 31 March 2026 is still taxed and filed under the old Act. Tax year 2026-27, which runs from April 2026 to March 2027, is the first under the new one, with new form numbers. Form 16 became Form 130 and Form 16A became Form 131, for example. Your CA will handle the switch, but expect some new names on the paperwork.

Step 1: Close the books (April)

Nothing else can start until the books for 31 March are final. That means:

• Every bank account reconciled to the last rupee.
• Every sales invoice and vendor bill for March booked.
• Year-end entries: depreciation, costs incurred but not yet billed, prepaid expenses, and any interest due.
• Stock counted, if you hold stock.
• Fixed assets checked against what's physically in the office.

If you close monthly, this is just a slightly longer month-end. If you don't, it's where the year-end pain comes from. How to close your books by the 5th covers the monthly routine.

Two filings fall in April: TDS deducted in March is due by 30 April, and MSME-1, a half-yearly return listing what you owe micro and small suppliers for more than 45 days, is due by 30 April for October to March. MSME-1 only applies if you have such dues.

Step 2: The statutory audit (May to August)

Every company needs a statutory audit by a chartered accountant every year. Size doesn't matter, and neither does whether you made any money. Your first auditor is appointed by the board within 30 days of incorporation, and later at the AGM.

What your auditor will ask for

• Trial balance and ledgers for the year.
• Bank statements and reconciliations for every account.
• Sales and purchase registers, with GST returns filed.
• TDS returns and challans.
• Payroll records, PF and ESI challans.
• Fixed asset register.
• Loan agreements, share allotment papers and board minutes.
• Confirmations of balances from major customers and vendors, if asked.

Give them everything at once. Audits drag when documents arrive one email at a time.

Tax audit

A separate tax audit under the income tax law is needed only if turnover crosses the limits, broadly ₹1 crore, rising to ₹10 crore if almost all receipts and payments are digital. Many early startups fall below. Ask your CA in April so you know which deadline applies.

Step 3: Board meeting and AGM (August and September)

Once the audit is done:

1. Board meeting. The board approves the audited financial statements and the board's report, and calls the AGM.
2. AGM. Shareholders adopt the accounts and, when due, appoint or confirm the auditor. The AGM must be held within six months of the year end, so by 30 September. The first AGM can be held within nine months of the end of the first financial year.

For a startup with a handful of shareholders this is usually a short meeting with a lot of signatures. Keep the minutes properly. Investors read them in diligence.

Step 4: Filings with the Registrar of Companies (October and November)

These are the ROC filings that founders most often miss, because the dates depend on when you held your AGM.

MGT-7A is the shorter version for small companies and one-person companies. If your AGM is on 30 September, AOC-4 is due by 30 October and MGT-7 by 29 November.

Late ROC filings attract an additional fee for every day of delay, with no upper limit set as a total. It adds up quickly.

Two other MCA filings

• DPT-3, due by 30 June, reports deposits and certain loans the company holds, including loans from directors.
• Director KYC used to be due every year by 30 September. From 31 March 2026, MCA moved to a simpler KYC once every three years, with the next one due by 30 June 2028 for directors already up to date. Check your directors are compliant, because a deactivated DIN stops filings.

Step 5: Income tax (June to November)

Advance tax during the year

If the company expects to owe ₹10,000 or more in tax, it pays advance tax in four instalments: 15% by 15 June, 45% by 15 September, 75% by 15 December and 100% by 15 March. Loss-making startups usually owe nothing, but check before each date if you've turned profitable.

The return

The statutory due date for a company's income tax return is 31 October. If a tax audit is needed, the audit report comes first, by 30 September. Companies with international transactions with related parties have a later return date, 30 November, with a transfer pricing report due before it.

For the year ended March 2026, CBDT extended these dates for audit cases: the tax audit report to 21 October 2026 and the return to 21 November 2026. Extensions like this are common but not guaranteed. Plan for the statutory date.

Startup-specific points

• Carry forward losses. Losses can only be carried forward if the return is filed by the due date. For startups with years of losses ahead of a profitable year, this matters more than any penalty.
• Shareholding changes. Losses can lapse when shareholding changes significantly, with some relief for recognised startups. Ask your CA to check this the year you raise a large round.

Step 6: GST annual return (December)

GSTR-9, the annual return, is due by 31 December for the previous year. It's optional below ₹2 crore turnover. Above ₹5 crore you also file GSTR-9C, a reconciliation between your audited accounts and your GST returns.

GSTR-9 is where twelve months of small mismatches come home. If you reconcile purchases against GSTR-2B every month, it's a quick job. If not, read GSTR-2B mismatches before you start.

If you raised money during the year

A funding round adds its own filings, and auditors check them at year end. If any were missed, it's far easier to fix them in April than in the middle of your next round's diligence.

• Return of allotment (PAS-3) for every share allotment, filed with the Registrar within 15 days of allotting the shares.
• Valuation report from a registered valuer or merchant banker for the price at which shares were issued, kept on file.
• FC-GPR reporting to the RBI through your bank, if any investor is from outside India, within 30 days of allotment.
• Updated register of members and share certificates issued to the new shareholders.
• Board and shareholder resolutions approving the round, signed and filed where required.

Ask your company secretary or CA to confirm each one is done, and keep the filing receipts in your data room. Your next investor will ask for them.

What your CA needs, and when

Common mistakes

• Treating the audit as the start of year-end. It's the middle. The books must be closed first.
• Holding the AGM late on 30 September and then missing AOC-4 because nobody diarised it.
• Filing the tax return late and losing carried-forward losses. The penalty is small. The lost losses aren't.
• Forgetting MSME-1 and DPT-3. Short forms, easy to miss, still penalised.
• Directors' KYC lapsing. A deactivated DIN blocks every other filing.
• Leaving GSTR-9 for December. By then the vendor mistakes are a year old.

Questions people ask

What are the annual compliances for a private limited company in India?

Every private limited company closes its books on 31 March, gets them audited, holds an AGM by 30 September, files financial statements (AOC-4) and its annual return (MGT-7 or MGT-7A) with the Registrar, files its income tax return, and files GSTR-9 if registered for GST and above the limit.

Is an audit compulsory for a small startup?

Yes. Every company registered under the Companies Act needs a statutory audit each year, however small, even with no revenue. A separate tax audit is needed only above turnover limits under the income tax law, which your CA will check.

What is the due date for AOC-4 and MGT-7?

AOC-4, with the audited financial statements, is due within 30 days of the AGM. MGT-7, the annual return, is due within 60 days of the AGM. If the AGM is on 30 September, that means about 30 October and 29 November.

What is the income tax return due date for companies?

The statutory date for companies is 31 October after the year ends. For the year ended March 2026, CBDT announced an extension to 21 November 2026 for audit cases, and moved the tax audit report from 30 September to 21 October.

Sources

• Ministry of Corporate Affairs: company forms and filing (opens in a new tab)
• Income Tax Department (opens in a new tab)
• GST portal (opens in a new tab)
• ICAI: director KYC moves to once every three years (opens in a new tab)
• CBDT extends ITR and tax audit dates for AY 2026-27 (India Briefing) (opens in a new tab)
• Advance tax under the Income-tax Act, 2025 (India Briefing) (opens in a new tab)

This is general information, not tax or legal advice. Check with your CA or company secretary for your company's situation.